I'm Just Normal
by i love white
Summary: Ichigo is just a normal girl at school, who happens to have a major crush on the most popular guy at school. She wants to fit in but she’s always working and she’s nothing out of the ordinary. When she applies for a new job and unexpectedly gets it, what’


I'm just normal

Tokyo Mew Mew

Summary: Ichigo is just a normal girl at school, who happens to have a major crush on the most popular guy at school. She wants to fit in but she's always working and she's nothing out of the ordinary. When she applies for a new job and unexpectedly gets it, what's going to happen? Especially with her new boss… Then finally her work pays off. People at school start noticing her. Which life will she pick? The dedicated worker or popular queen of the school…? Or… more importantly… who will she pick?

Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew or Mew Mew Power, OR any of the songs I might use in this. However… the plot is something I do own. (Ask me for it, and I might consider it… :P)

A/N: Alright, first TMM fic. This will probably be a RyouXIchigo, by the way. Although… Don't kill me, all you RyouXIchigo lovers! I'll get around to it! Just keep reading! You'll see… It's just… because Ichigo likes Masaya in the series I thought I'd put a bit in. Besides, I think Masaya's fine and all the break ups between the two have seemed pretty out of character for him, so I wanted to have him as in character as I could, and still have Ichigo fall for Ryou. Just thought it would be interesting… Then again, Masaya deserves a bone… Maybe it shouldn't be a RyouXIchigo… Anyway, most of it will be written from Ichigo's point of view, but I might mix it up a bit. And I'll probably have significant time gaps… And I think I'll be using something like the English ages. Oh well. Anyway, hope you'll like!

Chapter One: Friends

I was late for school, as usual. I ran out of my house, intent on getting there slightly earlier than normal…

8:30. Come on… if I could only run faster… Oh! What about the bike? …The bike I never used…And probably couldn't ride… Um… Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Better stick to the original plan.

Run… Pant… What? What was the pant for? Running wasn't that tiring… Oh damn. Yes it was… Crap. If only I'd taken the car… Oh, right, I can't drive. No wonder I hadn't taken the car. Well… If only I had learnt how to ride a bike when I was little, so I would have some idea how…

Why am I cursed with the bad luck to always be late?

I rounded a corner and abruptly bumped into a person. At least, that's probably what it was… I looked up. It wasn't a person… It was a… um…

Manikin. Right… Actually, it was wearing a really pretty dress, and its fake hair was dyed red, up in a nice loose bun. It reminded me of why I loved my red hair. Actually, that dress might be nice… It looked fabulous. But… why was it in the middle of a path?

Oh right. I had just looked a little further behind the manikin. It was because a shop was advertising. Nah duh.

But… I had never seen this shop before… and it was kind of big…

Understatement of the year. It was basically a shopping complex. With two storeys. Ok, so it wasn't _huge_, but it was definitely big enough. What was the name…?

**Shirogane & co**… Wow, sounded pretty flash… I'd have to come back some time, when school wasn't-

School.

DAMMIT.

I had to get going. Now.

8:45… Just one more corner… Almost there…

BBBBBBRRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!!!

Oh crap. You could hear the bell from where I was standing… and, sure enough, as soon as it stopped, a teacher stepped out and stared into the distance, straining to see someone to give a detention to.

I really can't afford to get a detention; I've got far too much work. Besides, does anyone ever _want_ a detention? I have to get out of this somehow. I just **have** to. I study the teacher more closely. Damn. It's Mr. Guiness, the worst one. He hates me. Seriously. He not only has something against red hair, he's also completely biased against girls. Totally unfair.

Fortunately, my years spent at this school have not been wasted. I'm always late…so I've gotten to know the ways to get in and out… Even the ones that should have been sealed off but weren't.

And today, this knowledge would come in handy. I scanned the school mentally with my mind, trying to figure out which one would be the best suited for the job… I had _Basics to Business_ first, so that was to the right… From the front entrance…

The garden next to the sports pavilion. Someone had dung a hidden tunnel a while ago; it looked extremely small, and took a lot of effort to get through, but that stopped it being used by other people, thankfully. I walked towards there casually, trying to look inconspicuous.

No one was there. It was completely deserted, as usual. The spectacular bamboo provided a fabulous wall, and as I walked through it, I was reminded of a maze. Whenever I came here I got a sense of excitement, like there was something important at the end, and I was going to win. It's strange, I know, but it's also one of the reasons I love this place. It really is a bamboo forest.

I turn the final corner and come to the entrance. As I climb down, I felt the familiar smell of dirt and smile. This is how I like it. It's so earthy and natural, I feel like the passages around school are my hideaways.

I crawl through it quickly, conscious that I only had a few minutes to get there. It was fast, and I crawled out of the tiny hole underneath the West Wing. Luckily there was no one about, and I straightened my clothes. They were coated with a layer of dirt, but that was normal, so that could be overlooked. Then…

'Is that…?' I froze instantly. I thought he was _always_ early to class. That's one of the reasons I… um… Never mind. But there he is, standing in front of me and looking as cute as ever. I _wish_ that he liked me. **I wish**. Meaning I request help! I need to get lucky at least once in my life.

'A-ah… Um… Aoyama-san.' He looks amazing… Not fair. Really not fair. It means he'll obviously be popular, a.k.a. untouchable… and yet how could anyone not like him? This is like a curse. I get all the bad luck in the universe, so that everyone else can have good times. So, technically, everyone's in debt to me…

He gives me a bit of a blank look, then smiles slightly. I think I'm going to die. Why do I have to fall for the guy that has ten million girls after him? It's just not fair… Why do I have to fall for the guy that I have ABOSLUTELY no chance with?

You guessed it. Bad luck. A.k.a. karma.

'Momomiya-kun. So it is you…' His voice trails off as he takes in my uniform. 'Are you ok?' he asks, concern in his voice.

I can't believe it. Is Masaya Aoyama genuinely _concerned_ about _me?_ Wow… yes, he is. 'Um… yeah. Well… Why aren't you in class already?' I blurt out, being the oh-so-disciplined-person that I am. His eyebrows raise and he chuckles. 'What about you? Why aren't _you_ in class?' Hey. No fair. I'm the one who asked him first. Hmph. And plus, I'm **always** late. It doesn't matter and it's just something that happens. It's unquestionable.

'Well… I'm… I'm **_always_** late! It doesn't matter about me! But… you're **_never_** late. So that's why I'm asking…' His eyes seem to change slightly.

'Why do you say that?' He's closer now. Talking to me, like we're _friends_.

Huh? Why did I say what? 'What?'

'Why did you say it's unimportant?' Um… It wasn't a big deal. I said it because… well… It wasn't important. But when I look at him, he seems to think otherwise. Wow… his eyes are so… um… brown. I think my favourite colour should be brown. It's like chocolate…

'I don't know…'

He smiles a little, and it brings me back to reality. However much I wish Masaya liked me, he doesn't… And it hurts. But oh well, I mean, I'm just a nothing-special girl, who isn't even pretty. As if he'd like me.

'Well, I suppose we should be getting to class, Momomiya-kun.' He heads towards the building's entrance and I automatically follow him. He seems content to just be in silence, but fat chance if I am. So I turn to small talk. 'It's um… It's a nice day today, isn't it?'

He turns toward me and nods. 'Yeah… the sun's out. Do you like sunny days the most?' I'm sort of puzzled by this. But… I suppose so. 'Um… Yeah, I think so.'

'I thought you would.' It's so hard to talk to him properly without swooning, but I manage it. 'Well… Um… What… 'sort of' days do you like?' It's a stupid question but he ponders it, like he's genuinely interested.

'I think… cloudy days.' Cloudy days? I never pictured him as one of those types of people… What am I doing? I'm sorting people according to which type of days they like!? Whoa… Masaya really does influence me.

'Why?' I ask, stumped. He laughs and says, ruffling my hair, 'You'll understand when you're older.' I'm getting miffed. 'Hey! I'm the same age as you!'

He stops walking. 'Are you?'

Huh? What's with the sudden seriousness? This is weird… 'Yeah… I'm sixteen…'

His eyes widen and he nods. 'Uh… Sure. We're the same age… Wow…' He runs a hand through his hair and says, 'Do you have _Basics to Business_?' I nod. 'Well, this is where we say goodbye. I've got Physics.'

Dang. Oh well. And plus… It's amazing how he's so smart! I nod and grin at him. 'Well, it was nice talking. See 'ya around!' He looks slightly shocked at this but gives me a smile. 'Yeah… It was. Have fun. Goodbye.'

He walks off, with a sort of unapproachable aura around him. I find it hard to believe I was just talking to him, especially since he's walking at a pace I'd have to run to keep up with. His expression is blank too. I get the feeling that something is really troubling him, but I have no idea what. Oh well. It's not really my business anyway.

---------------

It's soooo boring! Thank god I'm out of there!

Let's see… what do I have now…? Oh damn, it's maths. For some reason, I was picked to go into the advanced class. This is my first day of it. I don't know why I had to be advanced, especially as I completely _suck_ at it. Anyway, I've got to find the room, seeing as I have absolutely no idea where to start.

I start walking forwards, towards one of the maps of the school that are exceptionably rare. Just then, a snobby voice interrupts my concentration. 'Momomiya! Ha! What are you doing?' I really don't have time for this. Miwa Honjo and Moe Yanagida are rapidly approaching, with their cronies following. Man, I hate them. They're the really mean and nasty girls at the school, along with a few others, but these two are the leaders. **And** they both have major crushes on Masaya. Just another reason to dislike them.

'Oh look, Momomiya's lost! Would you like us to help you out?' Sniggers.

'No… I'm just fine on my own, thanks. I know where I'm going.' Now they're frowning.

'But we have to help you! It's our duty as your… _friends_.' Did I mention how much I hate them? I don't have friends at school anymore, ever since they singled them out and starting picking on them until they never talked to me anymore. And these stupid girls know that. If I was any good at punching, I think they'd all be passed out.

'**_No. Go AWAY_**.' I'm really annoyed. They all think that I'm someone they can all pick on to make themselves feel better… HOW STUPID CAN YOU GET? I'll fight them back, just like anyone else, even if I do get slaughtered.

'Momomiya-kun?' …Oh no… It's… It's him…

He seems puzzled, but there's something wrong with his eyes, as I can faintly see some kind of emotion that I recognise in it. Wait… I think… It's… It's a strong distaste… It's a look of pure repulsion. Does he really hate me that much? I thought… Never mind.

Actually… It's not only that's different. His eyes have… changed colour? They're now blue! Or were they always blue? No… I'm sure I thought about changing my favourite colour because of those eyes. And my favourite colour is blue. Ironically the same colour as Masaya's hair.

'What's wrong?'

Miwa and Moe have plastered smiles on their faces. 'Um… nothing's wrong. We were just _helping_ Ichigo to get to class. We're great friends, don't you know.' A sweet smile.

I hate them. There is no way I could ever be friends with them. And there's no way I'm going to let them get out of it that easily. Even though I have no hope with Masaya, I'm determined not to let these harpies get their claws into him.

'In other words…**They were bullying me and delaying me to class**.' They glare at me and I smile - as sickly sweet as they did before - back. Masaya's expression has completely lost any pretence of puzzlement. I realise that he knew exactly what was going on as soon as he interfered. I wonder why he's so…disgusted though.

'I'm sorry… Honjo-san and Yanagida-san… I think you'll be late for class if you stay here any longer. I'll help Momomiya-kun for you.' His voice is cold and demanding. They are furious that I've taken their chances with Masaya away, but they don't dare oppose anything he says. I never thought it would turn out like this.

They go away, sulking.

'Are you okay, Momomiya-kun?' I look up into his eyes. The blue has gone… they're a deep brown now. I wonder, if you could dive into those eyes, would you find a hidden blue there? I don't understand… It seems that Masaya is a really… secretive person. I never knew his eyes changed colour. You learn something new everyday.

'I'm… fine, thanks, Aoyama-san.' I turn away from him, blushing.

'You're not angry with me, are you?' It seems like he really wants to know. I turn back instantly and blurt out, 'Of course not!' before I can help myself. My eyes settle on him again. His lips curve into a smile. 'That's… good.' I realise that the repulsion has completely left his expression now. So… was he angry at Miwa and Moe?

I don't know anymore.

'So, what did you need help with?'

'Um… I've been put up a class… I've got advanced math now, and I ha-'

'You're kidding!' He exclaims and his eyes have brightened considerably, I notice. I shake my head, and he smiles. 'I've got advanced math…' He seems like a child, so excited over so little. It's… cute.

'Wow… Fancy that.' But I realise that I'm also delighted. I feel like dancing or something… Actually that isn't a bad idea. I start dancing.

He laughs. I stick my tongue out at him then add seriously, 'You should try it.' He gives me an incredulous glance. ' COME ON!' I giggle as he just stands there.

'What's it called?'

'Erm…' I'm stumped for a few seconds. 'It doesn't really have a name… It's just dancing…' Then inspiration comes to me. 'It's my happy dance!'

'Then… if it's yours, you should be the only one doing it.'

For some reason, it seems that Masaya's in a really gloomy mood today. I have no idea why, but if I can help, I'll try. He seemed to be happy just a few seconds before. After all, he's amazing in every way. He should have some happiness.

'It's a dance that means you're happy. If you don't want to do it, you must be pretty upset…' He gives me an odd look and shrugs. 'I'm just afraid of being late.'

Oh! It all makes sense! It's because we're LATE! I check my watch. It's TRUE! I've dragged Masaya down to my level! 'ARGH! I'M SOOOOO SORRY! LET'S GO!' He laughs at me and pats my head. 'There there, calm down. Don't worry.'

I snap out of my we-are-so-screwed-for-being-late-it's-not-fair state. He seems so much older than he is… Is he really sixteen? Is he really the same age as me? It certainly doesn't feel like it. He seems so much smarter than me… Probably because he is.

'Um… Where do we go?'

He laughs again and I realise that I really like that laugh…

-----------

School's finished. YES! I fling my bag on my back and run outside. It's still sunny, and the warmth cheers me up even more. The whole day turned out fine, since the advanced math turned out to be pretty easy, and Masaya said that if I needed any help just to call him… We exchanged numbers! Part of the reason I'm so happy, no doubt.

But I know that we're sort of friends now… It's like a confirmation. And I like having a friend in school. It makes me feel a little better.

Although my bag is heavy, I run all the way home, until I'm at that place I saw before…

**Shirogane & co.** It's a big logo, and it's something that I can easily remember. I like it. There are manikins in the windows, dressed in amazing things, looking like truly beautiful people. Though… they haven't blocked off behind them, so I can see further inside the place. There seems to be a café, and I can see two waitresses… I love their uniforms!

They look like true professionals, but as I look more closely, I can see that one of them is just drinking tea, while another is having trouble with plates. It looks like a nice place to work…

I'm instantly drawn to it. I go through the rotating doors without noticing, until someone comes up to me and asks, 'What can I do for you, Ms?' I turn around and see a nice looking man, who is dressed a bit like a butler, or a waiter or something. He has brown hair and brown eyes and a warm smile. I find myself smiling back.

'Erm… I… I-I… I'm just looking, thanks.' I say, awkwardly. He nods.

'There are other departments upstairs, and you can book accommodation down here, although the actual hotel is located closer toward the city centre. You can buy food down on this floor, whereas the clothes and electronics are upstairs.' He stops and tilts his head to one side. 'Are you sure you're just looking?'

No. I'm not sure. I think I shouldn't even _be_ in a place like this. It's obviously high-class… And I'm here in my school uniform. I like the look of the dresses that are no doubt expensive, and I think that it looks amazing. But I'm not going to say that… Although… I would _love_ to work here… But come on. I've already got three part time jobs, and there are probably loads of people who want to work here.

'Actually, I think I better go…' The brown haired man looks a bit shocked. 'But Ms!'

I walk to the exit dazedly. This place is just… incredible. I **want** to be here… But there is no way I could. No way.

'Keiichiro, who is this?' A sharp voice. I freeze. Are they talking about me? And who is Keiichiro? 'Ah… sir. Well, she just walked in. I don't know what she wants… but she just turned away… She's going to the exit now, see?' Yeah, they're talking about me. And the guy called Keiichiro seems to be the butler guy.

'So she's a customer…' The voice isn't as sharp as before. I kind of like it.

'Ms!' It's the Keiichiro guy again. I'm tempted to turn around and ask why they were talking about me, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. 'Did you want something, Ms?'

It's the other one. I think I'll call him random person 1#… until I turn around. The first thing I see are beautiful blue eyes. I can't believe it. Is it… Masaya…?

No. It's not. As my gaze locks on him, I take in blonde hair, and an outfit that looks very American. Is this guy an American?

'Um… No. I… I didn't want anything at all… It's just… I saw this place and thought I'd have a look.' The guy smirks. 'Do you have a look at all the new buildings?'

What? Since when did I say that! This guy has an attitude! 'Hey! I-' Why did I have to look at his eyes just then? And dammit, I see he's just joking! 'Go to hell,' I murmur instead, not liking him at all. Voices and looks can be very deceptive, I decide.

But not with Masaya… A part of my brain reminds me. Then again, I argue, Masaya is like the exception to everything.

The blonde in front of me gives me an 'unimpressed' look. 'Riight…' I roll my eyes. He snorts. I stick my tongue out at him.

He says loudly to Keiichiro, 'This one's a bit…' He lowers his voice, but only slightly, so I can definitely still hear him. 'Strange.' I glare at him. He smirks and adds, 'See what I mean?'

Is this guy for real? How could anyone be so rude to someone they'd just met!?

'Sir…' Keiichiro looks a bit apologetic, at least. So he's the gentleman here and this blonde must be… um… maybe he's like… a random guy who comes a lot?

'I don't need to know, Keiichiro. Anyway, I think the lady doesn't care to stay anymore.' My mouth drops. I never thought I'd think this within two minutes of meeting someone, but I hate this guy. Or at least, strongly dislike him. Who does he think he is to basically tell me to get lost? I have to say something, to get on this guy's nerves. Well… if he's a customer, then that means I can kick him out if I get employed here…

I turn to Keiichiro. 'Excuse me, but I did need to talk to you about something.' I drag him away from the blonde, closer to the exit. The blonde just frowns, and walks off to god knows where. 'Yes?'

'Well… Could I apply for a job here?' He stands stock still for a moment and stares at me, then, after blinking a few times, he smiles. 'Sure! We could use an extra hand! I'll get you a form!'

A… A form… Ok. I can deal with this.

It takes approximately two seconds for him to get a form. 'Here we are! Just fill this in and give it to me tomorrow. We'll contact you if you get in…' He winks. 'Good luck, Ms.'

And that's that.

I walk out of it with a job application. I can't believe this! What if I actually get it!? Not only will I be working at a really fancy place, I'll be able to get back at that blonde haired psycho!

I'm so happy.

I get home, and, as usual, my mother isn't there. I dump my school bag, and take all the things I have to take to work. The hair-dresser's place… It will probably take me ten minutes to get there.

---------

Ok, I'm home. It's…Wait a second… let me check…

1:00am. Now I have to finish my homework and write the application out… What am I going to put?

Well, obviously I need to write my name next to the place it says _Name_. There. Done. Now… Age. Sixteen. Hey, this is easier than I thought. It's… normal.

I can do this. Wait… degrees? What? Erm… pass. Courses? Why does it need to know that? Come on… I don't _need_ to write this down, do I? Then I see a note down the bottom.

_All categories are compulsory. If any are left blank, an explanation must be given._

Whoever wrote this thing out is insufferable. I hate whoever wrote it already. But they probably don't work _there_. I'm sure every single person there is really nice, and they're all as sweet as Keiichiro. Yeah… that's right…

I finish it. I'm so proud! I did most of that and I feel like I'm going to die from lack of sleep! Now who is awesome? Yeah, that would be ME. I get to sleep now! I am going to sleep in and…

Crap. Homework.

So… what did I get homework for? Surely it can't be that much… And there's no way I got some for everything, that **never** happens…

Oh… Why am I cursed with all the bad luck in the world? Remind me? _So other people don't get all the bad luck._ I make good stuff happen for people like MIWA and MOE! NOT FAIR! Especially when I get all the STUPID homework! ARGH!

Yes. I got stacks of homework for every single subject tomorrow. Right now, I could use some help. Not that I'm going to get any…

Let's see… What do I have tomorrow again? 1st lot of homework… History. Math… Well, Math won't be too bad. It's pretty easy and besides… Masaya's in that class…

STOP THINKING ABOUT MASAYA, ICHIGO!!!

…Ok… Sort through the homework… Oh crap. There's way too much. Remind me why I always wait until the last day to do my homework?

_Bring! Bring!_

Huh? What's that?

_Bring! Bring!_

Wait a second… I remember that…

_Bring! Bring!_

…I've got it! It's… um… the tv?

_Brin- You have called the Momomiya household. We can't take your call at the moment but if you would just leave a message…_

Ah. Right. It's the phone. I knew that.

HUH? IT'S THE _PHONE?_ ARGH!

I run to get it. Come on… please don't hang up. Please… please oh please…

_Beep!_ **Oh… Hi. It's Aoyama Masaya here. I realise this is probably a really bad time to call… but-**

Oh my god. It's Masaya! I can't believe this! I have GOT to get the phone!

**I better go then… Well, see you tomorrow… um, I mean… today… haha… Good-**

'HI!' Pant, pant. Thank god I got that call. I wonder what he was calling about anyway…

'Oh!' He's shocked. 'Uh… Hi. It's Aoyama Masaya. I'm a friend of Momomiya Ichigo's…' He doesn't know it's me! Haha! But I have to admit… I really like how he said _friend of Momomiya **Ichigo's!**_ Especially the way he said Ichigo… He's so cute.

'Aoyama-san? It is Ichigo.' He stops.

'It is? Uh… I'm sorry Momomiya-kun. Did I wake you up?' He sounds so apologetic.

'No, don't worry. I just got back, really, and my parents aren't here. So it was fine!' I laugh nervously, trying to sound cool.

'Ah… Why aren't they with you at this hour? Isn't it a bit late for them to still be out?' I wince. Not really, I want to say. They're hardly ever here anyway. Not that I'm actually going to tell anyone that.

'Oh, they just have important things on at this hour. But why are you still up? Most people would be asleep by now!'

'Yeah… I suppose. But I'm normally up around this time… It just seems to be normal. I never really think about whether other people are up at this time, that's why I'm sorry if it's a bad time…'

'I already told you it isn't a bad time! It's a very good time in fact… I don't have that much to do…' He laughs.

'Ah… Well, I was just wondering whether you were awake or not. I was a bit… bored. So I thought I'd call you… Don't you have homework, though?'

Ah… haha… How come people always know what I'm doing? 'Erm… yeah… but don't let that stop you talking!' he laughs again.

'No, you have to do your homework…'

No! No, I don't! Not if it means I get to talk to you! At least, that's what I feel like saying… Then I realise something. He must have considered me a friend for a while now… After all, he called me at 1:20 in the morning. Doesn't that say something to you? Wow! This is… great! I can't let him hang up on me this easily… Let's see… 1:20. So that means that my parents will be back in about… 2 and a half hours, if I'm lucky. So that means 2 and a half hours of being alone. I'd probably go to sleep… but if Masaya is bored…

'Hey, do you want to come over?' I ask, telepathically urging him to say yes and help me with my homework. Then I instantly regret it. What would he think, if some girl asks 'do you want to come over?' He must think I'm a total loser.

'Are you sure? Won't your parents be angry?' Ha! Fat chance of that!

'Not really. It'll be fine. But… only if you want to…' There's silence. Then, I hear a whisper. It's inaudible, but he's definitely said something.

'Pardon?' Silence… then…

'Oh… nothing. I'd love to come. What did you want to do?'

'Erm…' Actually, that's a good question. 'Homework?' I ask hopefully. I hear his laugh echo down the phone line.

----------

_BBBRRRIIINNNGGG!!!_

_BBBRRRIIINNNGGG!!!_

SHUTUP!!!

ARGH! What is that NOISE?

I slam my hand down onto one side of my bed. Will it just shut up?!

_BBBRRRIIINNNGGG!!!_

I can't stand it!

_SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!_ I hit random things and to my horror, something that feels like my alarm clock is knocked off the bedside table and… it KEEPS ringing. Oh no. No, no, no, no. This is not supposed to happen. This means I'll have to actually get up…

_BBBRRRIIINNNGGG!!!_

THAT'S IT! STUPID ALARM CLOCK! I kick my sheets off me and I'm sure my eyes are blazing fire. That alarm is going to pay! I 'accidentally' step on it and twist my foot, crushing it, but not enough to break it. After all, I do this most days when I accidentally knock it off the table. It's a hardy alarm clock, even if it is the most annoying sound ever made.

I feel a ridiculous satisfaction as it stops ringing. Yes! I pick it up and look at the time. 7:00… I _should_ get up now, but it's earlier than I normally do, and I did have a late night last night, even if my parents don't know.

It was really nice, actually. I thought that it might be really strained and tense, but Masaya brought over one of my favourite games, and he helped me on all of my homework. Everything is so much easier when he explains it! I should hire him as my tutor or something, seeing as I'm so hopeless at it.

I have to say, I enjoyed every minute of our time together. He said we should go to the movies later in the week too, and I agreed. I mean, I haven't seen too many movies recently, and it would be nice to go with a friend…

I realise I'm blushing as I look in the mirror. I'm _blushing_ at the thought of Masaya!? ARGH!

Stop blushing! I furiously try to cool my cheeks down.

Then I remember. I've got to hand in the application today, too. I wonder whether I'll get it…

No use dwelling on things! Actually, it would be a good idea to put it in on my way to school… So I should definitely get up now, so I can go and give a good impression.

I take a shower and get into my school uniform, smoothing it and trying to look professional. It looks nice, and I tie my hair up in trademark ponytails. I tie two red ribbons around them, and study my face, to make sure I look fine. To my absolute horror, I see a… a…

ZIT!!! Oh my god! I'm screwed! Miwa and Moe and other bloody stupid girls will all slaughter me and tell everyone about how ugly I am and… and… Masaya will never even look at me again! Let alone talk to me! And… I'll fail the job application too! Oh. My. GOD!! I cannot have a zit! This cannot be happening! Everything will go wrong now. It will be like that movie I saw once – ages ago, by the way – where people started getting pimples and after that they had all these bad things happen to them… like one of them had all their relatives killed and another got dumped and another one ran away and went broke…

DO NOT PANIC ICHIGO. DO NOT… BREATHE IN… BREATHE OUT… BREATHE IN AND… OUT… IN… OUT…

I will not panic. Everything will be perfect… and Masaya will just be normal… Wait. Normal? So… he'll pretend that nothing happened and I won't know where I stand with him and… he won't ever start to like me and Miwa and Moe will probably get him and…

No. Please do not let Masaya be like normal. Make him nicer and cooler and sweeter than normal… Please, oh please…

Oh yeah… and make me get that job and… make me popular…and-

MAKE ME EARLY FOR SCHOOL!

I have just happened to take a look at my watch! I'm LATE! No! This can't be happening! I set my alarm, it went off… what happened?! Then I notice that the alarm has lots of cracks in it… It must have been from what I did this morning, right? But my doubts are erased as it starts going off again and I see the time it shows is…12:50. Right. Ok… It better not be 12:50!

I look at my watch again… and it's… it's…

Oh my God. I knew my parents were a little… Well… I thought that they'd bother to wake me up to go to the school that they're paying! It's bloody 12:50! So… my alarm isn't exactly broken… Oh crap.

Remind me why I am sacrificing myself to the mercy of bad luck for people like… never mind. I guess… I get the day off then…haha… Well… that's good… if a little sad… I bet I would have gotten top marks on all of my homework because of Masaya's help…

Speaking of that… I still didn't go through everything that happened this morning, did I? Well… Masaya was really sweet and he told me about all this random stuff… And we talking a lot about the environment. He seems to be really interested in it…

And… after all of that… He brought up Miwa and Moe. His eyes turned blue again too. He asked me why Miwa and Moe hated me. I just said that they disliked me. I don't know why. He seemed to think it over for a while, but I got onto the topic of something else… I think it was pizza… Yum… pizza…

Anyway, I better drop this off today, huh?

I get changed out of my school uniform and lock up, making sure the house is fine. And then I skip away, my spirits already brightening. I mean, missing one day of school can't be too bad, and today is the day that my parents get back when I'm around, so I can get a note. And I might get the job… And, most importantly, I covered the zit up.

Man, my life is busy. I have to work six hours today, I think. Oh well… I've already done one, this morning. Only five to go… hehe…

I can't wait.

A/N: Ok, there you have it. I know that it had a lot of MasayaXIchigo, but I promise that it will be a RyouXIchigo fic. I was wondering, do people want me to add in the Mew Mew side? If no one tells me to, I won't, so if you do, you had better review before I update… Which will probably be a long time away, unless I can somehow access the internet… But anyway, REVIEW!


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